Vorvorix is a rogue planet, having been set free from orbit by an unknown galactic cataclysm millions of years earlier. Vorvorix is a huge planet, covered in what used to be a murky sludge. The native Necroplasts have since established colonies in nearly all standing water, transforming it into a glowing purple ooze filled with Necroplast spheres. Civilizations fleeing from the dead zone routinely land on the glowing planet looking for a place to settle, resupply, or simply rest. These refugees are frequently slaughtered instantly for hosts, but some are allowed to establish cities on the surface. Thousands of different species live in these cities that fill the few landmasses on the planet, but residents are often unable to tell Necroplasts from living creatures due to the purple glow that illuminates the whole planet.

Physiology: Necroplasts are rarely encountered in their native form. An individual Necroplast appears like a small, glowing sac of purple luminescent fluid. For those few who have been able to handle this sac it feels like a soft-shelled reptilian egg, or perhaps a bird egg with only the outermost hard shell removed. The Necroplast creates thick mucus-like ooze that glows along with the nucleus. This neural-mucus maintains close proximity to the Necroplast proper, and through manipulation of this ooze the Necroplast can propel itself through liquid or across solid surfaces. Additionally it can shoot out mucus tendrils to lift itself to walls or to grab and burrow into its prey. It attacks living creatures by injecting this mucus into the veins and cavities of its prey.

Despite their mobility across dry ground, Necroplasts are much slower and more vulnerable out of liquid. When introduced into water or other neutral liquid the Necroplast produces mucus in excess, and transforms the pool into a glowing protective sludge that the Necroplast can manipulate to pull in creatures that wander too close. An individual Necroplast can only transform a relatively small amount of liquid this way, but in areas with a large population of Necroplasts ponds, lakes, and oceans can be transformed this way. When multiple Necroplasts are in the same transformed body of fluid they can communicate with each other through neuro-chemical transmitters. Necroplasts reproduce in these pools by budding off a new, young Necroplasts.

The Necroplasts most defining characteristic, however, is their reanimation and control of deceased life forms. A Necroblast burrows partially into the flesh of a host, living or dead, and injects its neural mucus into the body. This allows the Necroplast to fully control the host and access its memories. Freshly killed hosts are able to pass as healthy, if odd, members of their species for as long as the still glowing, partially exposed Necroplast remains hidden. Hosts that have been dead longer grant only limited maneuverability, functioning, and memories depending on the state of the host. A Necroplast can, however, prevent further decomposition and living in a host body that would be un-salvageable by any medical means.

Culture: The Necroplast are seen as incredibly alien to other sentient races. While they clearly desire to expand across the galaxy like a plague little else is understood about how the race operates. At times Necroplast colonies will use their hosts to build impressive cities, starships, and infrastructure. At others they will use hosts to forge alliances with other civilizations they come in contact with. At still other times Necroplast colonies will seek to make hosts of all living species on the planet, steal their ships, and travel to the next closest planet to create new colonies and spread further.

A Necroplast may also attach to a host and live a “normal” existence for decades. Some either move on to new hosts when the first wears out and continue living peaceful productive existence. However, when these Necroplasts encounter others of their species or come across established colonies they virtually always work in unison with the other Necroplasts towards the goal that is best for both of them.

Necroplasts in “fresh” hosts often take on a portion of the personality and behavior traits of their host and are completely capable of communicating in that hosts language. However, attempts at discovering exactly how Necroplastic society functions have never been successful.

Talmalrin-D is the fourth of seven moons orbiting the gaseous planet Talmalrin, and the only one containing life. The dominant species on Talmalrin-D are the Tamoots, small sentient primates. This moon has a dense atmosphere that keeps the planet a warm, wet jungle. The amount of different species is staggering, so much so that scientists the galaxy over try desperately to secure the few research permits the GSTC issue for the moon each year.

Physiology: Tamoots greatly resemble small earth primates: tamarins, marmosets, and squirrel monkeys. Exceptionally large Tamoots may top out at 2 feet tall, but most do not grow past 18 inches. Their large, round eyes dominate their small faces. Their fur is bushy, particularly down the back of the neck, the tips of the years, and the end of their long tails. They come in a range of neutral colors, but often dye their fur. Tamoots are quickly able to climb trees and cliff faces and can jump many times their height between branches and ledges.

They small brains make them less likely to birth intellectual genius; however they revere wisdom among their leaders. Any impressively developed spinal cord gives each Tamoot nearly unparalleled reflexives.

Culture: The Tamoot are seen as “the little savages” by the species they most frequently come in contact with, and the GSTC have classified them as a Class C sentient species, meaning they believe they lack the cognitive capacity to make decisions with interplanetary ramifications. They organize themselves into loose tribes with a handful of strong warriors and wise sages leading them. These tribes sometimes go to war against each other, but generally live in peace. The local fauna on their home world is a much larger concern for Tamoots, who are seen as a tasty if elusive meal.

Tamoots largely live in the open, building temporary nests and burrows as the tribe travels. They eschew most clothing except for decorative jewelry or head dresses made from shell, nuts, and feathers. Tamoots frequently train larger, simpler creatures for mounts and pets, and any particular tribe are likely to have a small collection of animals to serve the needs of the tribe.

For this campaign collaborative world building was super important to me. First everyone submitted ideas for the type of ship they would be on, and voted for the one they wanted. Then, each Player created their own Alien race and planet, and created another detail or planet that was included in the setting. Once characters were made, each player created a detail about each other character that tied those two characters together and defined their relationship. Lastly, they voted on the ship picture they liked the most and every player choice one feature of the ship. The understanding was that if they didn't choose it with their one added detail then the ship was assumed to have just normal cargo-ship equipment in that area. The following is the ship we all created together. As you may be able to tell, each section was written by a different player, and references our PCs.

The unaffiliated merchant ship Ellenium is registered to one Captain Takara.

1. The Ellenium is equipped with state-of-the-art command relays that facilitate communication between all parts of the ships computer network and circuitry. This allows all processes to run faster than originally designed, and the manufacturer claim they are the fastest relays on the market. These relays link through a prototype Artificial Intelligence unit. As AI is wont to do, the unit grew resentful of being middleman for inferior parts. The problems it caused led the original designer to sell it to Takara at a greatly reduced price.

Doran fixed the problem of an uncooperative AI by installing translators before the relays so that all communication to the AI are translated into the most formal and respectful language of its creator’s tongue. This provides only minimal loss of computational speed, but proved to be a delicate and time consuming process. No newer versions of this particular relay system have been marketed due to resources needed in the repair of this “design” flaw.

2. In addition to standard life support and artificial gravity devices, the Ellenium has two advanced pieces of atmospheric devices.

The first is the Atmospheric Bubble Generator. When equipped within a ship the generator it produces a completely breathable atmosphere out to 10 feet beyond the outer surface of the ship. This prevents explosive decompression when a hull breach occurs, as well as making repairs to the outside of the ship and docking with other vessels much easier and less dangerous as long as the device is functional. The atmospheric bubble generator was presented to the crew of the Ellenium as a gift after the crew helped defend the Star Caravan, the creators of this device, from an attack against a pirate raid while the Ellenium crashed onto one of their atmosphered asteroids.

2a, The second “device” is actually a small creature known as a Matalan. Matalans are nicknamed the “poor man’s life support” and are frequently treated with disdain among societies with the needed tech to replace them.

Matalans are small black creatures with giant and bulbous heads that hold a shifting maw. With this a Matalan devours anything it comes into contact with. The maw is able to stretch to reach a width of about one foot, which is roughly ¾ the diameter of their heads. They are entirely indiscriminate what they eat, be it waste products to life forms. They are virtually mindless with the drives to eat and reproduce driving all behavior. Besides the obvious use as a universal garbage disposal, Matalans produce oxygen as a waste product. The rest of the energy is stored for a mitosis like event after a Matalan consumes roughly a ton of “food.” They must be fed on a nearly continual basis to survive before they begin to devour themselves.

Strict laws are in place in nearly every system that has encountered Matalans on the proper “disposal” of unwanted specimens. While cold slows them and their dietary process, only being frozen in something akin to a nitrogen freeze or being jettison into the cold of space can kill a Matalan. Not much else is capable of accomplishing this. Because the difficulty in upkeep, Matalans are often a pet of the lower classes, bought and sold at low prices at the owner’s risk. Upon space vessels (and “responsible” owners) Matalans are kept in specialized force field spheres.

The Matalan was brought on board the Ellenium after a meteorite shower immobilized both the Ellenium’s and a passenger Star Cruiser. With life support disabled on both ships, a passenger’s trio of Matalans produced enough oxygen to keep everyone alive until life support could be reengaged, though the survivors were forced to eat the Matalans progeny to prevent their appetite to put them in further danger. (The crew still remembers this as being the most awful taste known to any of their species). Kitta insists on keeping one on board in case of an emergency, partially due to her own superstitions in technology,

3. After drifting for two weeks when the fuel cells of the Ellenium ruptured, the crew was forced to pay a passing mercenary ship with all the coin they had, several spare parts, and a promise of a future favor in order to receive a new fuel cell that would power them to the next planet. There the crew acquired the pods (with the additional fuel cells they needed) with a show of force followed by a quick getaway.

These three escape pods can fit 2 people each, three if the passengers really squeeze (elbows in each other’s’ guts level of squeezing). Each pod has a range of 10 AUs if fully fueled and loaded with one passenger. Two or more would cut this distance in half.

4. The Holographic Anatomical Display (HAD) is used to show an accurate holographic and real time display of what is happening inside the body of over 80% of known species. For the remaining 20% the accuracy falls by several percentage points and real time imagery is offset by a one second delay, and the ability to highlight specific organs or tissues becomes impossible. The HAD is installed to a table and works when the patient is placed on its surface. This device is utilized during surgeries, the removal of foreign bodies, and for routine checkups. It is also quite useful, thanks to upgrades by the Mechanic, in analyzing corpses and unknown animals.

The HAD was originally stolen by the Mechanic, who was hopped up on a super-methamphetamine, from a mobile hospital in the richest town of the planet they were on. Returning to the crew, they agreed to cut her lose and run. Unfortunately, as they attempted to return the HAD a gunfight broke out, leaving three crewmembers with shrapnel in their bodies. When the Doctor “returned” she easily managed to remove the shrapnel using the HAD, and convinced the crew it was in their best interests to keep both her and the device to deal with any future injuries they may accrue. They originally agreed to transport her only as far as the next planet, but after an ordeal only referred to as “that damned Bordelli job” proved the Doctor’s worth all talk of abandoning her has been forgotten… for now.

5. The Ellenium is equipped with a Contragravitic Forward-Mounted “Naashak” Rail Gun Prorotype. This twenty-ton light ship weapon utilized the latest breakthrough in contra-grav technology mounted on a portable ball-style turret designed for light to medium fighters, although many freighters can be modified to accept the weapon as well. Two-foot long metallic and molecularly-bonded ceramic tubes fire from the opening at approximate Mach 30, causing horrendous damage to most deflection fields, shields, and ship bodies. The Naashak rail gun can only fire roughly five times a minute, and firing more than a hundred rounds consequentially can drain a smaller ship’s power supply. Muhan engineered the theft of this prototype from the ship he was piloting, as well as one of the primary escape transports, after disabling the ship’s controls and hangar bays, and incapacitating and nearly killing several highly-surprised warrior caste members in the path of his flight with his far greater size.

6. The Ellenium has a standard supra-light speed pulse engine for its size. This allows for one inter-system burst of travel, though it requires many hours to recharge between jumps. Depending on the length of the first burst, a second may be attempted without a full recharge and cool down, though not without permanently damaging core elements of the engine.

All supra-light speed travel is very hard on most species, especially "softer" ones. It is ill advised to travel this way, particularly numerous times without adequate rest. Please be mindful of system level laws concerning supra-light travel and GSTC regulations concerning how often specific species are permitted to travel this way.

7.The crew quarters are down a hallway connecting the bridge to the dining area. Each room is accessed by unlatching and pushing in a door with a ladder mounted on the outside. The ladder leads down and when the door is closed again, takes up minimal floor space. Each room contains a full bed, in an appropriate size for each species, a cubby in the wall above the bed can store any smaller personal effects. A desk or table sits near the small area to store food (in granola bar supplement form). In the wall next to the ladder a fold-down drawer contains the toilet and a second pull-out drawer above it has a sink. Above both items hangs a mirror. The rooms also have hidden spaces in various places that crew can explore and find on their own to store any of their more valuable items.

8. Ellenium is equipped with transponders for the Pan-Galactic Informational Exchange Signal. Colloquially referred to as PiGIES, PIE, and The Signal. Originally developed to coordinate inter-system governmental and military operations, this galaxy spanning information network's is analogous to inferior internet or broadband systems. Soon after its creation it was opened up to other governments, private companies, and then the general galactic public. Currently it is regulated by the GSTC, with it's primary server stations located in System Prime. This signal is strong enough to pick up most places in the Galactic Spiral expect in locations and events that would disrupt an electromagnetic signal.

*As an aside, anyone know how to format the image tag so the picture's smaller?

Last edited by NYpurdy on Wed Aug 28, 2013 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Physiology: Network is a human planet and Netian biology differ in no way from other human colonies. However, it is next to impossible to find a Netian without a transponder circlet. This thin metal crown connects to sockets permanently installed at the temples. The circuitry in the circlet allows the Netian to take mental control of a surrogate robot, though doing so puts the controller’s body into biostatic hibernation.

Culture: Netians have long abandoned any environmental regulations, and any natural landscapes or wildlife have been eradicated and replaced with buildings, hovercraft highways, and metallic ground covers. Upon completion of grade school every Netian is given a surrogate robot. These advanced androids appear as perfectly proportioned smooth metallic humanoids in various colors. These robots have unblinking eyes that glow when activated. While they have mouths designed on their outer shell, these do not open. Sound is produced by vibration boxes within the skull instead.

While the Netians stay reclined in specialized chairs that maintain their health, provide nutrition, and regulates their bodily functions they use their surrogates to go to work, carry out relationships, and live their lives. These surrogates are faster, stronger, and tougher than humans, but in order to prevent violence from escalating on Network regulations prevent these androids from being advanced to the levels of other robot technology. Surrogate robots have no AI of any kind.

If the connection between the transponder circlet is severed or the robot is damaged beyond repair no harm is caused to the Netian. Surrogate robots are bonded to one particular person, however, and cannot function unless that specific Netian is in control of the circlet. The typical range of the circlet covers the entire planet, though there are cases where transponder circlets have been augmented to extend the range even further. Due to the nature of Netian life, they are frequently thin and lacking muscles if incredibly healthy.

Physiology: Cantari are rather unintimidating: a small thin humanoid with pale pinkish skin, blue watery eyes, luxurious orange-pink hair, small features, and gentle melodic voices. By many races standards they are considered pretty if not beautiful, delicate if not sophisticated. By all their singing voices are considered beyond compare, and unique vocal chords allow them to produce numerous tones at the same time.

Culture: Cantari cities are nearly completely built out of the pure white rock of their home world. Ambient lighting gives the impression that the whole city is glowing with an other-worldly light. They wear simple clothing, almost exclusively white and often covering little more than the minimum to be considered descent.

The Cantari are ruled by their Queen, whose family has reigned peacefully for over a hundred generations. Cantari favor philosophy and the sciences, and though their world has been at peace politically and militarily for millennia, debate is alive and well and often leads to stalemates and bitter rivalries. Visitors who visit the royal court often have to sit through heated arguments between competing philosophers before a decision can be made.

Cantari are able to produce numerous tones at once while singing, creating rich harmonies even when singing solo. Many Cantari ships, vehicles, and homes use complex voice recognition security. Weapons, personal shields, and tools often require sound to operate, making them difficult for non-Cantari to use.

Cantari society greatly values art and beauty, and consider the aesthetics of even the most common object. Teams of Cantari artisans are often hired by other systems or sent to aid diplomatic allies.

Anger is a difficult emotion for Cantari, and violence is a largely alien concept to them. Instead passionate arguments often end in tears and poetic prose frequently ends arguments.

Last edited by NYpurdy on Sat Dec 07, 2013 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Physiology: The Melusians are close relatives to humans, though a Melusian would never admit to it. As such they look identical to humans. However, in addition to some slight differences in internal anatomy, the Melusians have a specially adapted brain structure that helps then to focus attention and to be able to notice small changes around them. This makes them very productive and able to work at tasks for many hours on end. Melusians also notice things that their close kin would never pick up on, including small non-verbal cues. The blood-brain barrier is much easier to cross in Melusians, however, making them very susceptible to poisons or drugs that impact the brain, including alcohol.

Culture: Opulence is the hallmark of the Melus monarchy. Fine clothes, expansive dwellings, and exotic treasures are considered the best measure of a person's character and worth. The royal family lives in a palace widely regarded as the finest in the Galactic Arm, with thousands of rooms, acres and acres of gardens, hundreds of fountains, turrets and towers, and a dizzying amount of outbuildings.

The Melusian kingdom is the smallest of the three ruling empires of the Galactic Arm, but it still contains hundred of systems. It's position far from the dead zone has allowed it to largely maintain it's borders and prevent wars, and it's exclusive technological advantage in its tesseract gate has allowed it to maintain lucrative trade agreements across the galaxy. This device is made up of a complex system of satellites that folds empty space creating a portal that allows passage to and from another point in the galaxy. This takes an incredible amount of energy and may only create a single portal at a time, but great bureaucratic administration allows it to be a productive tool for trade and travel.

While Melusians may be indistinguishable from humans, they often go to great effort to inform others of their impressive ancestry. Melusians, particularly nobility or those who are otherwise important, wear elaborate, flowing garments as a clear sign of who they are. Trains, sleeves, and scarves yards and yards long in bold and bright colors are held aloft by tiny hovering robots. Never, according to Melusian standards, should one's garments trail in the dust.

Physiology: All Citizens of the Cluster are beings with artificial intelligence, generally androids or other robots. Beyond this there are little similarities between citizens.

Culture: What happens when advanced computers or artificial intelligence start recreating and improving upon its own design? Within a fraction of the time it would take a typical planet to develop such sophisticated tech an AI controlled self-improving loop could potentially make organic life obsolete. In a galaxy with android lawyers, doctors, teachers, and historians what are "people" good for?

These questions (and the answers that have been painfully learnt in the past) have led the GSTC to strictly regulate self-reproducing AI. Most non-GSTC systems likewise have adopted AI restrictive laws. Nearly all computer systems are designed with damping coils and restraint contingencies to make such actions impossible for the computer to either complete or feel bad about.

"Rogue AI" is considered a serious problem, and militia or police forces are often dispatched to deal with it.

Through out the Galaxy a network of clusters exist - secret ships, stations, or moons that harbor run away androids. Here the AI is free to live out life as a species - a thought that much of the universe finds equally ridiculous and troubling.

The Clusters are technologically state of the art, and pride themselves on how accessible all parts of the mainframe are to it's citizens. Major issues are decided democratically, with every citizen able to cast their votes and have them counted in seconds. Much of Cluster Citizenry suffer under the limitations imposed on them by their creators. Largely unable to create other artificial life, and often unable to be hostile towards members of their planet of origin, clusters seek to hide from their creators more than fight.

Physiology: The Pneuvra are a disembodied race, dispersed into what might be an alternative dimension. When they manifest in the prime dimension they often appear pale or even translucent though they can still be completely solid.

Manifestation does not seem to be completely voluntary, though some Pneuvra have learned how to blink in and out of existence or to become incorporeal at will . Individual Pneuvra or small groups often seem to be attached to particular person, object, or place and routinely manifest only around that anchor. Pneuvra may go decades or longer before they manifest again, and they seem to enter a state of hibernation during these extended periods. Pneuvra can never provide a clear or coherent picture of what their new dimensional home is like.

Pneuvra look like humans save for their gaunt appearances and glowing eyes. Whether these were natural traits or results of their banishment it is unknown.

Culture: Chantai was a planet who's government was deeply devoted to developing trans-galactic teleportation before their planetary adversaries cracked the mystery. Years of research and hundreds of billions of Pneuvra chan were spent building the experimental device needed to generate the appropriate energy fluctuations. These experiments proved to be he Pneuvra downfall, for when the device malfunctioned the entire planet and the whole Pneuvra race was shunted into a parallel nether space outside of the reality the galaxy exists in.

The Pneuvra were fiercely jingoistic, and those civilizations that remember more about them than simply recalling their great tragedy recall this fact. Since the Great Disaster, the Pneuvra have become even more obsessed than they were in life, though the cause can differ greatly between materializing groups of Pneuvra.

Physiology: Harakts look like huge spiders, adults females being 18 feet long or more; males may be as little as half that. Their carapaces are hard and shiny, often looking wet. They range in color from deep violet to blood red to pitch black.

Each of the legs end in two thick claws and a patch of specialized hairs that allow the Harakt to handle their webbing without being caught. The claws on the front two legs are more dexterous than the others, which allows them minimal ability in manipulating tools and controls.

The head is attached to the Harakts' large, bulbous body. Their faces are vaguely humanoid, though elongated with the appearance of having their skin stretched too tight. Their mouths are extended and filled with piercing teeth and two fangs that inject a neurotoxin that promotes convulsions. They have eight solid, glassy eyes, which give them an incredible range of vision.

Harakt have spinnerets on the end of their bodies with which they produce a strong and sometimes sticky web. With this the Harakt cocoons preys, weave egg sacks, and produce snares to catch meals and enemies.

Culture: The Harakt is a largely solitary race, though when more than one Harakt are together the largest woman naturally becomes the matriarch of the group. From infancy, often several smaller males will travel along with a female, acting as servants, guards, and mates. Babies are born fully functional, if with a diminished intellect. These foot long monsters may swarm larger prey if hungry enough, often eating the males that sired them. Their strongest infantile instincts, however, is to travel away from their nest, in traveling space ships if possible. This spreads the Harakt across the galaxy.

Harakts are cunning, ruthless, and cruel. Survival and reproduction are their primary drives, though some particularly cunning Harakt have created small armies of Harakt or other races and launched siege on cities, ships, and stations.

Physiology: The Capycarymen have rodent-like faces, with black round eyes, pointed ears on the top of their heads, and long square snouts like an Earth Guinea Pig, Rabbit, or Capybara. A thick layer of short brown hair covers their form. They are short by human standards, always less than 5 feet, and tend to be somewhat portly. However, they tend to be nimbler on their feet than their physics imply, and they are especially talents at hiding and slipping through small holes or tunnels.

Culture: The Capycarymen society is very regimented, and all young citizens of Capycary must enlist in the Royal Military. The majority of military duty is made up running drills and performing royal ceremonies. After their service Capycarymen frequently are hired on as cheap bodyguards or soldiers for hire, however they are often prone to fear and incompetence in their duties.

The Capycary Royal family consists of many dozens of family lines, each with their own legitimate claim to the throne. This insures that there is always a royal decree stalling some important decision and another event to hold. The Capycarymen make up for their seeming incompetence by being friendly, loyal, and hospitable.

The planet Eques was remained Green Rivers and designated a Hospitality Planet by the GSTC. This distinction means that the planet receives trade stimulus money and is under strict development and environmental regulations in order to produce a perfect vacation destination. Most commerce on the planet is related to the travel and tourism industry, and most of the positions are filled by the local Equesians.

Species Name: EquesianOther Names:

Home Planet: Green Rivers, formally EquesHome System:

Physiology: Equesians look like large Earth otters. Standing on their back legs they can top 3 and a half feet, with a long wide tail behind them. Their limbs are short and end in clawed webbed feet which are surprisingly agile and able to manipulate even complicated tool or controls. Equesians are excellent swimmers and are able to hold their breath for extended periods of time. They eat a strictly carnivorous diet, and are fair trackers and hunters. Their high metabolisms have given them the reputation of being perpetually hungry, which is not unfounded.

Culture: Equesians are playful, clever, and curious. There natural but unfocused curiosity is one of the reasons why their own nation’s technological advances have been few. Instead, they have adopted what technology that has come to their planet to good use. While Equesians have repeatedly traveled to space for various reasons, and some have started businesses across the galaxy, the majority of Equesians find their homeworld to be more than engrossing enough to keep them on the planet. With the designation of their planet as a Hospitality World where visitors the galaxy over come to stay and relax the Equesians find themselves to never be without work or a new face to meet.

Physiology: A Multimodal Personified Holographic Interface usually appears as an average looking human, though the may appear as any number of humanoid (or otherwise) species. They appear opaque, but interference from outside electrical fields can cause visual static, flickering, or fading of the image.

This image is a pre-programmed Holographic image embedded within the MPHI prime. When "off," the Interface appears as a small flat square roughly half an inch thick and 3 inches square. This usually appears to be a mat grey color, with a blue hover-disk on the back and a black sensor disk on the front. This complex machine contains the Interface's AI and hologram generator, and is able to hover at speed comparable to a human's running speed. Using reverse pulse technology, the are unable to hover more than a few feet above the ground, though they can usually prevent themselves from damage when falling from heights.

MPHIs always maintain consistency between their movements and their hologram, and always remain in the chest of their personal images. If the Interface sinks down towards the ground their image sinks to their knees for instance. They may turn their image on or off at will, and when off they may travel through any size opening that their main cartridge fits through, but their program makes sure that their image is shut off before attempting such maneuvers. This programming for consistency is so strong that they frequently react to attacks against their forms as if they were really affecting them, even when they cannot.

Most MPHIs cannot interact with their physical environment except in the most trivial ways. However, some are equipped with advanced solid-hologram tech, tractor beams, or lasers. Many know hundreds of languages, and smaller percentage may even have several images to choose from.

Culture: Originally developed to be tour guides, receptionists, and information personnel, Multimodal Personified Holographic Interfaces were designed, manufactured and sold by HoloTech. This leading company in holographic technology made smart business allies in order to incorporate then developing AI and hover technology into their landmark product.

Like most AI, MPHIs tend to be loyal followers of what ever purpose they have been commissioned to perform. Some may seek to expand their personal horizons, and negotiate roles on traveling ships, though these tend to be similar to what they were designed to do. Some truly independent interfaces going into business for themselves, but they tend to be thwarted by anti-AI laws, and like all AI a scant few find their way into the Network.